Mardi Gras Costumes: Enjoying the Celebration

While the season is much longer than just one day, when Fat Tuesday comes around, Mardi Gras costumes are everywhere. This is everyone's chance to throw aside traditional social conventions and enjoy the party. While dressing up is certainly not a requirement of the celebration, it does enhance the time spent with friends, taking in all of the sites, sounds, and situations that lend themselves to this time of year. Don't just sit on the sidelines! Choose a costume and get in the middle of the celebration.

Decide on a Costume as Early as Possible

Everyone spends the months before the celebration planning out Mardi Gras costumes. People want to be unique and of course, gain the attention of the crowds. In order to set aside the most time for planning and preparing, make a decision on an outfit as early as possible. Whether you create your own look or you choose a rental shop, time is of the essence.

Other people may have similar Mardi Gras costumes but you can always set yourself apart from the crowd. From the moment you make your decision, begin looking into ways to make your presentation bigger and better than those around you. Often you will be able to tell the residents and visitors that took time to prepare and those that waited until the last minute.

Homemade or Rental

Deciding on Mardi Gras costumes early is also important if you plan to rent or make your own outfit. Rental shops are often bombarded with customers at the very last minute wanting something to wear for the celebration. Go in early and begin to look around. You can make a reservation for a costume in advance. This means that you are guaranteed something to wear. Those that wait until the last minute will have very slim pickings when it comes to what is leftover in the shop.

If you plan to make one or several Mardi Gras costumes, the more time you have, the better. You need to come up with a design, create the initial costume, and then make sure that everything fits. Depending on the type of outfit and its elaborate display, this could take months. Get started as soon as possible. This leaves a little room for error. If things are not going as planned, you have time to start over or make corrections.

Elaborate or Simple

For this celebration, there is no such thing as going overboard. Your costume can take up an entire street corner and you will be right in style. Whether you plan to make your own creation or use a rental shop, think about how elaborate you want your look to be. If you are going to attend parties, you may want a little extra mobility for dancing and fun. If you are going to be parading down the street with the sole intention of getting lots of attention from the crowd, go all out. The decision is completely up to you.